17 Common Reasons You are Not Losing Weight

Have you been trying to lose weight without any or much positive result?

Or have been wondering why all your effort to lose weight has not yielded good results?

In weight loss, I have noticed that most persons take two steps forward and three steps backward. I was a victim of this when I was trying to shed off some weight…

…someday I will workout like 50minutes only to skip the next few days. And those days that I skip workout, I do end up eating all sorts of unhealthy food and drink lots of beer.

Often times, it’s hard to lose weight: Not that losing weight itself is hard, but, you have refused to stay away from some unhealthy behavior and actions. And until you stay away from these unhealthy actions, you may not lose weight nor notice that you are losing weight.

I have made a post similar to this…that’s not enough! I will keep creating more of this post until you- and I mean- ‘you’ are able to lose good amount of weight.

Do you know this?

That you may be able to lose quite a lot of weight at first, without much effort. However, weight loss may slow down or stop altogether after a while.

Below are common reasons why you are not losing weight…

You will also find tips on the necessary things to do in order to break through these obstacles and get things moving once again.

You are not watchful of what you eat

Awareness is incredibly important if you are trying to lose weight. Many people actually don’t have a clue how much they’re really eating.

Studies show that keeping track of your diet helps with weight loss. People who use food diaries, or take pictures of their meals, consistently lose more weight than people who don’t.

Not Realizing that you are actually losing weight

If you think you are experiencing weight loss obstacles, then you may not need to freak out yet.

It is incredibly common for the scale not to budge for a few days (or weeks) at a time. This does NOT mean that you are not losing fat.

Also, it is possible to gain muscle at the same time as you lose fat. This is particularly common if you just recently started exercising.

This is a good thing, as what you really want to lose is body fat, not just weight.

It is a good idea to use something other than the scale to gauge your progress. For example, measure your waist circumference and get your body fat percentage measured once per month.

Unless your weight has been stuck at the same point for at least 1-2 weeks, then you probably don’t need to worry about anything.

You are still eating more than required Calories

A large percentage of people who have trouble losing weight are simply eating too many calories than their body requires.

You may think, ‘this does not apply to me’, but keep in mind that studies consistently show that people tend to underestimate their calorie intake by a significant amount.

If you are not losing weight, then you should try weighing your foods and tracking your calories for a while.

Tracking is also important if you’re trying to reach a certain nutrient goal, like getting 30% of your calories from protein. This can be impossible to achieve if you’re not tracking things properly.

You are not eating whole foods

Food quality is just as important as quantity.

Eating healthy foods can improve your health and help regulate your appetite. These foods tend to be much more filling than their processed counterparts.

Keep in mind that many processed foods labeled as “health foods” aren’t really healthy. Stick to whole, single-ingredient foods as much as possible.

You are Binge Eating (Even on Healthy Food)

Binge eating is a common side effect of dieting. It involves rapidly eating large amounts of food, often much more than your body needs.

This is a pretty big problem for many dieters. Some of them binge on junk food, while others binge on relatively healthy foods.

Even if something is healthy, the calories still count. Depending on the volume, just a single binge can often ruin an entire week’s worth of dieting.

You are still drinking soft, sugary and carbonated beverages

Sugary beverages are the most fattening items in the food supply. Our brains don’t compensate for the calories in them by making us eat less of other foods.

Even fruit juices are problematic, and should not be consumed in large amounts. A single glass can contain a similar amount of sugar as several pieces of whole fruit!

You are taking less of protein

Protein is the single most important nutrient for losing weight.

Eating protein at 25-30% of calories can boost metabolism by 80-100 calories per day and make you automatically eat several hundred fewer calories per day. It can also drastically reduce cravings and desire for snacking.

If you eat breakfast, then this is the most important meal to load up on the protein. Studies show that those who eat a high-protein breakfast are less hungry and have fewer cravings throughout the day.

You are not sleeping well

Good sleep is one of the most important things to consider for your physical and mental health, as well as your weight.

Studies show that poor sleep is one of the single biggest risk factors for obesity. Adults and children with poor sleep have a 55% and 89% greater risk of becoming obese, respectively.

Poor sleep has a way of making you to eat more.

You are still obsessed with “dieting”

“Diets” almost never work in the long term. If anything, studies actually show that people who “diet” gain more weight over time.

Instead of approaching this from a dieting mindset, make it your primary goal to become a happier, healthier and fitter person.

Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it, and let weight loss follow as a natural side effect.

You are not taking enough water

Drinking water can have benefits for weight loss.

In one 12-week weight loss study, people who drank half a liter (17 oz) of water 30 minutes before meals lost 44% more weight.

Drinking water has also been shown to boost the amount of calories burned by 24-30% over a period of 1.5 hours.

You are still eating more of carbohydrates

If you have a lot of weight to lose, and/or if you have metabolic problems like type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, then you may want to consider a low-carb diet.

In short-term studies, this type of diet has been shown to cause up to 2-3 times as much weight loss as the standard “low-fat” diet that is often recommended.

Low-carb diets can also lead to improvements in many metabolic markers, such as triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and blood sugar, to name a few.

You are not eating mindfully

This new technique called ‘mindful eating’ may be one of the world’s most powerful weight loss tools. This is the opposite of ‘Binge eating’.

It involves slowing down, eating without distraction, savoring and enjoying each bite, while listening for the natural signals that tell your brain when it has had enough.

Numerous studies have shown that mindful eating can cause significant weight loss and reduce the frequency of binge eating.

Here are some tips to eat more mindfully:

Eat with zero distractions, just you and your food – sitting down at a table.

Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly. Try to be aware of the colors, smells, flavors and textures.

When you feel the satiety signals kick in, drink some water and stop eating.

You are drinking more alcohol than your body requires

If you like alcohol but want to lose weight, then it may be best to stick to spirits (like vodka) mixed with a non-caloric beverage. Beer, wine and sugary alcoholic beverages are very high in calories.

Also keep in mind that the alcohol itself has about 7 calories per gram, which is high.

Based on studies; moderate drinking seems to be fine, while heavy drinking is linked to weight gain.

You have a medical condition that is making things harder

There are some medical conditions that can drive weight gain and make it much harder to lose weight.

These include hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and sleep apnea.

Certain medications can also make weight loss harder, or even cause weight gain.

If you think any of this applies to you, then speak to your doctor about your options.

You are still addicted to junk food

In 2014, a study shows that about 19.9% of people satisfy the criteria for food addiction .

People who have this problem use junk food in a similar way as drug addicts use drugs.

If you are addicted to junk food, then simply eating less or changing your diet can seem downright impossible.

Your expectations/goals are unrealistic

Most people can set powerful goals-Funny enough, the are mostly unrealistic goals. Weight loss is generally a much slower process than most people want.

Although it is often possible to lose weight fast in the beginning, very few people can continue to lose weight at a rate of more than 1-2 pounds per week.

Another major problem is that many people have unrealistic expectations of what is achievable with a healthy diet and exercise.

The truth is, not everyone can look like a fitness model or bodybuilder. The photos you see in magazines and other places are often enhanced using Photoshop – literally noone actually looks like this.

If you have already lost some weight and you feel good about yourself, but the scale doesn’t seem to want to budge any further, then perhaps you should start working on accepting your body the way it is.

At some point, your weight is going to reach a healthy set point where your body feels comfortable. Trying to go beyond that may not be worth the effort, and may even be impossible for you.

You are not doing cardio exercises

For some strange reason, cardio (as in running, jogging, swimming, etc) has gotten a bad rap in recent years.

However, it is one of the most effective ways to improve your health. It is also very effective at burning belly fat, the harmful “visceral” fat that builds up around the organs and causes disease.

Francis Eze

Thank you for visiting! Francis (Fit Francis) is an online weight loss coach and Fitness/Health Expert. He is the founder of www.loseweightng.com (a blog which features only the best weight loss tips). He utilizes his personal experience in personal weight management to positively influence his clients and readers (who seek weight loss, fitness and wellness information). He provides first-hand information which are based on scientific evidence as well as utilized to effect a positive weight loss/wellness goal.
My background includes as well degrees in Biology (Human Physiology, Fitness and Genetics) from a World-renowned University. Currently pursuing higher Degrees